The Forest
by SaberTail
Summary: It is a dangerous and thrilling place. TMNT AU
1. The Hunt

The hunt. It is primal, built on instincts, but it was morphed with this new technology one hundred years ago. Alopex is the best. Well, save for the true masters, but they were growing old, and it was becoming apparent that a new generation needed to step up, take their place. Alopex was obviously leading them. She was the best after all. Her twin kama danced in her hands as she sniffed the air. Every bit of her took in the snowy surroundings.

She didn't get much. She cursed inwardly and leapt off one branch to the next. When she hunted, each weapon was the wind, flowing in front of her effortlessly. She is the best, but this tracking stuff… well she wasn't bad at it, but her skill at finding prey never matched her mastery at killing it.

She stopped, tried again, and growled when she again came up empty. Alopex clung to branch after branch, stopped to sniff, and grew increasingly impatient each time the search yielded no results. The seasons were just changing, she tried to tell herself. Prey was still scarce. Hiding in their holes like the cowards they were. And if not hiding they were conserving their energy, biding their time until spring chased away the snow and silence.

She was about to go return. Her close knit group would forgive her for not finding something in this unforgiving ice. That's why she'd joined them. They were more reasonable than the old koots. The true 'masters'.

Still, she tried once more. Forgiveness did not usually cover disappointment, and she hit the mark. "Rabbit." The whispered word froze on the air.

She closed in fast. A killer's greatest weapon is surprise. There he was, now it was just a matter of getting a little clos-

"Foxes are usually quieter."

She would've been insulted, had she not been so surprised. Usually prey didn't notice until their last breaths were dripping onto the ground in shiny crimson, but this one heard her before she could even strike. Even more shocking was that he hadn't run. When she was a pup, prey spotted her all the time. She tended to trip over her feet because she was bouncing up and down so much from excitement. However, even then, when she barely posed a threat due to her small stature, any prey would scamper away, desperate to free themselves from her gaze.

This rabbit didn't even flinch.

When she realized that, the insult finally stung her. How dare her prey, her food critique her on her hunting skills. Even worse, how dare he not fear her to the core.

She leaped, her kama flashing in front of her. She had already planned to kill him, but now she would take some definite pleasure in it. The first blow was a complete failure. Her prey caught it in a tessen, splayed open almost too quickly for her to see. He flicked his arm and her kama flew, thunking into a tree a few yards away.

Her second blade followed naturally. One part of the same whole. He barely saw it in time, pushing away to avoid having one of his tall ears sheared off. Still her blade and his fur were stained crimson. It dripped from his brow, above his left eye. He touched it gently, but only for a second. Alopex leapt again, no use in playing with her food, especially when she was this annoyed with it. He was light on his feet though, and again narrowly avoided her strike. This time her blade ripped into the haori he wore. Another small cut, but there nonetheless.

Her next strike was blocked. He wasn't half bad with that tessen, but it wasn't enough. He caught the blow weird, and it was he wasn't the only one who could disarm. His fan went into the white powder at their feet. Alopex swung down again, sure she would strike flesh this time. Instead of a solid, satistfying thunk, the sound of clashing metal stung her ears.

Not another fan, but a sword, as sharp and cold as the snow falling around them. The tip of her blade touched his black nose, but as far as Alopex could tell no real damage had been done. She struggled for a moment, trying to push her weapon forward to actually cause some sort of harm, however minute. It proved useless. They each sprung back, out of reach.

She didn't get good at this by giving up, so she sprung back onto him, kama raised with new ferocity. He was even faster with his sword though and blocked that attack too. Metal clanged against metal every time Alopex slashed the air, but nothing else. However, much to Alopex's delight it seemed the rabbit was running out of ground to defend. The trees were all shriveled and dead, but their trunks still stood proudly, and he was about to back right into one. There would be no escape, and the restricted movement would prevent him from blocking her blows effectively.

His eyes widened when his back hit the bark, and the fear she sensed made her mouth run rivers. She lifted her blade, and swung. The blow was again stopped, but the rabbit had not made any movement to raise his sword, instead seeming to accept there was no more fighting to be done, he'd closed his eyes instead. Now though he cautiously cracked open an eye, as if sudden movements could cause him pain.

"What are you doing out here, Usagi?" The voice didn't really sound questioning to the fox. More angry… no sad… something in-between.

The rabbit blinked, unbelieving. Alopex too, could hardly wrap her head around how quickly this turtle had appeared without alerting her heightened senses.

"L-Leonardo?" He stammered.

The turtle nodded curtly and turned to stare murderously at Alopex. "And what do you think you're doing?" He asked, each word laced with a venom that sounded as deadly as his twin katana.

His icy blue eyes narrowed, contrasting even further with this… Usagi's wide pinkish red ones. Which was why it came as a surprise when the turtle pressed the tip of his free sword to her throat and whispered "If you ever try to even so much as touch my brother again, the ground will be stained with your blood."

Alopex dropped her weapon and backed away slowly, hoping that her overconfidence hadn't landed her in a situation that she could not handle.


	2. The Return

Usagi cautiously opened his eyes, focusing his ears on the first thing that sounded familiar. A voice. It was especially so when it had that anger laced behind it. Quiet rage with an undertone of instability. "What are you doing out here Usagi?"

He blinked up at the turtle, confused as to how he was still alive more than anything. "L-Leonardo?"

The turtle was quick to spit back. "And what do you think you're doing?" The phrase was vicious, but he didn't lower his sword an inch. He gaze was pinned like knives on the fox that had just been attacking Usagi. She was still standing there, accessing the situation. Brave of her. Or stupid. The line was pretty thin. It took Usagi a minute or two to actually realize that it wasn't a reply at all, but a threat, one not meant for him."

"Look... Leo…"

"Whatever you have to say I don't want to hear it. At least not right now." Leo's eyes were still laser focused, but the fox's were flickering like a light show. From Leo to her fallen weapon and then back to Leo again. Usagi was silently telling the girl not to do it if she valued her existence. She didn't stick around long, but it wasn't because she had come to her senses. It was because another voice spoke from the corner of the clearing they were in. "Hey bros. How's it going?"

Another turtle. Nunchaku hanging from his belt. They each glanced at him, and then glanced back to find that the fox's tail was disappearing into the snowy woods and general overcast of the day.

Michelangelo hopped down from the tree with ease. Landing with a bit of flair, arms out and head down in a bit of a bow. "Master Splinter sent me to come pick you two up." He smirked at them like they were trouble makers, probably loving the idea of the role reversal.

Leonardo sheathed his swords with a quick snap. "He probably wasn't too pleased was he?"

"Nope!" Mikey chirped back excitedly.

Leonardo nodded, clearly unconcerned with their father's anger. Usagi rose, swearing underneath his breath. "You didn't-"

"Have to come save your life?" Leonardo didn't even look at him. "C'mon let's get home, before Master Splinter can get any madder."

Usagi paused, but then nodded, following close behind his two brothers.

After a while, Leonardo slowed his pace enough to fall into step with Usagi. Michelangelo bounced eagerly ahead, a ball of joy next to two somber warriors. They didn't say anything, but Usagi took their footsteps falling together as a good sign. He tried to take a step further. "How bad do you think my punishment will be?"

"Whatever it is, it'll be deserved." It was quick like the snap of a neck.

"Look. I-"

"Wait. Stop for a second."

The rabbit halted immediately. He was in no position to argue with Leonardo. The turtle sighed. "Did you seriously not notice this?" He licked his thumb and pressed it against the fur just above Usagi's left eye. The rabbit winced.

"Yeah, and I'm cleaning below the actual wound too."

"Who says I didn't notice it? I just couldn't do anything about when she was swinging kama at me."

"Pretty talented fox I guess."

Usagi smiled again. "Thank you." The compliment was indirect, but he'd take it.

Leonardo shrugged. "You're good. It makes up for your stupidity."

He winced again. "You don't have to press down so hard you know. Or be so insulting."

Leonardo giggled. "Perhaps not, but I think I should get the privilege to punish you too."

"Why not just laugh at whatever Master Splinter gives me like Mikey and Raphael will."

That put another frown to crease Leonardo's face. "Like Raphael... would if he was awake yet."

Usagi blinked in surprise. "He hasn't woken up yet?"

Leonardo shook his head, glaring into the packed snow. That's when Michelangelo wandered back over. "Don't worry bro. You know how Raph is. Stubborn. He's probably just refusing to wake up cause he's mad at something silly."

Usagi piped up with. "Like that time he refused to leave the shelter for a week because he could not believe it was snowing in March."

Leo groaned. "Don't remind me of that winter. Jeez that was terrible." But after that he smiled and waved his brothers forward. "Come on. Let's keep going. We're trying not to make him more angry remember?"

Usagi turned solemn again and nodded curtly. "Let's." He continued forward, but now Leonardo's arm was consistently brushing against his. A kind of solidarity. At least he wasn't mad anymore.

They stepped into a clearing, but due to the overcast sky and dead trees the only thing that changed was Usagi's overwhelming sense of dread. A head poked out of the only shelter in the small clearing. Their home. "Michelangelo!" Their little brother jumped. "You seemed to be successful on your retrieval mission."

Mikey smiled and bowed to him. "I did my best, Master Splinter."

Splinter nodded, and scanned his son's faces. Narrowing his eyes when he saw the cut on Usagi's brow. "You're injured."

Leonardo took a small step forward. "Yes, master the opponent he faced-"

"Silence Leonardo." He whipped his tail across the ground behind him. "Usagi can tell me all about it when I see him in my private quarters. Are the two of you hurt as well?"

"No, Master." Came the reply in stereo.

Splinter sighed a bit and his shoulders relaxed just the slightest amount. "Very well. Come inside." He turned and walked back into their small shelter, gesturing them with his tail as he went. They followed wordlessly, but Usagi could feel himself becoming nauseous from how anxious he felt. He forced his feet forward and kept his stare shifting as they walked inside.

Their shelter consisted of three small, low ceiling rooms, lit by ideas that were thought up years ago in Donatello's imaginative mind. The light of fireflies flickered through holes in the palm fronds that made up the ceiling. A whole colony held by more palm fronds higher up, and fed by the family below him. The small holes provided light in specks though so the whole room was dotted with luminescence rather than simply shining with it.

The first room was theirs. Five bunk bed style cots. Two of them filled by turtles. One sleeping, the other scribbling on a small pad of what looked to be paper.

Splinter stopped them right before the curtain of wooden reeds that led to his own room. "Usagi!" He snapped.

The rabbit's body was instantly straighter, taller. "Yes, Master Splinter?"

"You will meet me in my room as soon as you have relinquished your weapons to the dojo. Do not dawdle, and don't go running off again."

"Yes Master Splinter." He bowed slightly and their sensei nodded before disappearing behind the curtain.

Usagi sighed and slumped over a bit. Leonardo patted his shoulder and whispered "Good luck." before turning to his left and passing into an open door that led to the dojo.

Usagi could hear Mikey and Donnie chatting. He didn't want to talk to Leo, and he wasn't ready to face their master, so he slowly wandered over to them.

"So. Why'd you run out like that on us?" Michelangelo stared at him, his eyes bigger and sadder than they should've been.

"I cannot tell you that."

Donnie had his head buried into a book, but slid into the conversation with "In other words. For Leonardo's ears only."

"Just because-"

"Listen, Usagi. It's fine. I'm glad you two are so close."

"They didn't seem close today." Mikey glanced from Donnie to Usagi.

"Even you and I argue sometimes." Donatello offered

Mikey shrugged, seemingly unconvinced, but then he hugged each of them and headed to the dojo himself.

"I think we all just wish you two would share a little more." Donnie glanced over at Raphael, including his sleeping form in the word 'all'

Usagi nodded. "I know. But there are some things we feel you wouldn't want to hear."

Donatello closed the small book he was scribbling in. "Try me."

Usagi shook his head. "Not this time Donatello. Ask Leo. He might be willing to tell you more. It's his secret to tell anyway."

Donnie sighed, murmured "Alright." And went back to scribbling down notes.

Usagi glanced at the movements of his brother's hands. They were swift and jerky. The language of those who hunted them. Donnie knew how to speak it too, but never did in their home. It had been forbidden by their Master after Donatello had lost his cool and screamed at Mikey using that wretched language.

Don had immediately tried to apologize but that didn't stop Mikey from crying for an hour and not speaking to Donatello for three full days. Which for Michelangelo was a very long time indeed.

Usagi decided not to dwell on things like that any longer. He really shouldn't keep their sensei waiting. And feeling resentment toward his brother for one of his most positive qualities, a thirst for knowledge of the world around him, was just asking for negativity.

He stepped through the reeds and into the dojo, where Leonardo was as always, diligently practicing katas. Michelangelo was nowhere to be seen and when Usagi asked Leo simply tilted his head in the direction of outside. Even when it was snowing, their little brother could never resist an opportunity to not be cooped up.

Usagi couldn't actually see how he felt too free out there though. He could only go a fairly short distance before having to return. Sensei's orders.

He set his weapons down and hurried to leave, but before he could Leo stopped his kata and said, "Wait!"

Usagi responded with an immediate "I've already taken too long Leonardo. Could you please just-"

"It'll only take a second." Then Leo leaned up and kissed him.

Usagi didn't push him away, but he chose to stay as still as possible instead. "Welcome back." Leonardo smiled a bit, but then frowned when he saw Usagi's expression.

"Leonardo... we... you do realize why I left right?"

"I... well... I'm sorry." Leonardo's eyes turned toward the wall. "I just thought maybe if I tried you'd remember how much you liked it... when we used to... um." His green skin darkened when blood rushed to his face.

Usagi leaned in and kept his voice at a harsh whisper. "Leonardo. Please for both out sakes. You must stop this."

Leo recoiled a bit at his tone but nodded all the same. "Fine. Fine... I'll... I'll stop. Just don't leave again."

"I won't have to if you cut it out." Usagi sighed and turned. "I have to go."

He strode through the reed doorway without a glance back and turned in to their Master's room. The smoke from the burning herbs didn't really help calm him. Really it mostly just burned his nose.

"Kneel, my son."

"Hai, Sensei."

Splinter asked when Usagi expected him too. Why leave? Why abandon his brothers when they were still vulnerable and sleeping? Why hurt and tear at his brothers feelings?

Usagi lied lied and lied some more, determined to deny his own desires and keep Leonardo's a secret. But each new falsehood built up on his conscious, until he felt as if dark ink was leaking out of his mouth and onto his face.


	3. The Winter

He despised winter. The cold was a terrible feeling, but the slow of his blood and therefore his body, was even worse.

He awoke slowly this morning, noticing the smell of a newly promised spring lacing the air. He breathed a sigh of relief. Finally. No more snow, no more ice, and no more relying on his compatriots to keep him going. Speaking of them, neither of Alopex nor Hob were lounging against him as they usually did. His relief at spring very quickly gave way to his usual grumpy winter attitude.

Leatherhead stood in slow motion, rumbling as he did. He stomped over too his mace, hefting it over his shoulder in one fluid, slow motion. He muttered under his breath about flighty mammals, but then sighed and admitted inwardly they were probably just trying to get them more food. What they had now was starting to rot, even with the cold snow preserving it.

He took a couple more steps, not bothering to go any further from the clearing they lived and slept in. The forest was a dismal brown-gray, and Leatherhead found it easy to long for the greens, yellows, purples, and reds of summer. He tried to imagine it. He'd view this very spot through summers bright lens before, but as soon as he tried too, he noticed Alopex bounding through the snow, hurtling toward him at a speed that suggested she was extremely excited or that he should run too.

It turned out too be the former. A good thing too, for Leatherhead could barely lift his feet let alone run away from something that was chasing them. She launched into a story as soon as she was in ear shot. "You're never gonna believe this! There was this rabbit and this turtle and they were... they were... good!"

Leatherhead tilted his head. "Have you finally realized that is the case?"

"I'm not talking about your silly philosophy, you overgrown elder! I /mean/ they were talented. With swords of all things. Well. The rabbit was pretty good with that tessen too of course, but that isn't as impressive."

"Huh. Well, I suppose that is intriguing. They try to defend themselves of course, it's only natural, but I'm guessing that given your lack of meat they were better than you." He'd never actually met prey able to defeat a predator in hand to hand combat. They usually just tried to find an opening to escape.

"I was outnumbered, not outclassed. I almost had that kill too." She tsked and then began scanning. "Where's Hob? He needs to hear this."

Leatherhead sighed. "I highly doubt he /needs/ to hear anything. I'm not entirely sure where he is though. I just woke up and /neither/ of you were around."

Alopex blinked a couple of times, and then rubbed the back of her head, chuckling a bit. "Uh... Right. Sorry." She crashed into the rough wool of his coat (his rough skin) "How's that big guy?

His chest rumbled again as he felt his blood start flowing properly again. "Why can't it be summer already."

"I got tired of hearing that three moons ago." She shook her head. "I mean come on. You can smell it right? The air is changing."

"Yes, yes I smell it, but it is not changing fast /enough/. I was already slow, being practically immobile just seems unfair. I can't even defend myself." He snorted.

"Honestly the sharp teeth and the I-can-break-you-in-a-single-blow mace probably scares off most who would want to mess with you."

He sighed and looked off into the trees. "Most but not all."

Alopex was pretty sure what he was thinking about, but didn't say anything. She simply wrapped herself closer to him trying to simultaneously warm and comfort him. He rumbled in acknowledgement and ran her claws through her fur. His eyes stayed out toward the trees, watching for some enemy he knew wouldn't really come.

Instead he found a friend. Hob weaved his way through the trees, a corpse dragging behind him. He held the squirrel by its foot, so that the blood of the boy left an obvious trail in the snow. He grunted and dropped the body. "Breakfast is served. Or will be once you two start a fire."

Leatherhead nodded and went to do as he was asked, but not before looking over Hob's shoulder to see his kill properly. No head, like always. He still felt it was barbaric, but he could understand. The cat wasn't a monster like the other, and the eyes, blank and lifeless could melt the soul into insanity.

Alopex cheered, leaving him behind to gather enough dry wood for a proper fire. She was young, and her lack of remorse was a product of that fact. She'd been taught that food was simply food, but since she was abandoned by a clan that couldn't keep her healthy, she had learned at least some respect.

It wasn't long before the fire was blazing, and long strips of meat Hob had carved out of the carcass were cooking over it. The three of them murmured a thanks and apology before digging into their meal. Now that they were sitting down properly, Alopex launched into her story again, telling of the strange rabbit and turtles that eluded her so easily. "He actually managed to disarm me too! Can you believe that?" She gasped and reached for her Kama. She only produced one and pressed the hilt of it into her forward. "I'm such an idiot! I lost my other Kama! Left it there like a total dolt."

Leatherhead sighed and shook his head. "You know we can't get you another one."

"But we-"

"That was a long time ago, Alopex. The clans have got more defensive recently. They won't just let use their forges whenever we desire like they used too."

"There must be someone!" She whined.

"Actually." Hob's cool voice settled over them. "There might be someone we could ask..."

"Like you could even thi-"

"Trust me Leatherhead whoever you are thinking of I am not going to them."

Leatherhead's tail swiped across the snow. "And who are you planning on going too."

"Someone I worked with when I first began my... uh... adventures." He kept that vague, as he always did, but the way his face darkened made it perfectly obvious that Hob had once been some sort of villain.

"I'm not sure I want-"

"Don't worry really. We aren't actually going to visit him. After all he's dead."

Leatherhead's whole body rumbled.

"Really it'll be fine. We are planning on seeing his daughter. When her father died his clan scattered. It was a conglomerate of different species much like our little group, simply... bigger. It was not built on familial bonds as most clans are, and once the girls father died she was left abandoned, alone with nothing except for what she managed to keep from her father's... loyal servants."

Leatherhead shook his head. "How does that help us exactly?"

"Well... according to the stories this girl wasn't as cruel as he father was, she often spoke out against the crimes he committed."

"Speaking against one type of violence does not make her like us."

"Yes, I suppose, but there is still a chance, and increased numbers has never been a bad thing. Plus..." He shot a glance at Alopex. "Now we have another reason to go. If the girl has managed to keep her father's forge we could use that."

The fox didn't need any more convincing after that. She shot a big toothy smile at Leatherhead, begging without words.

"Very well" Alopex cheered "But I still am not sure we should be recruiting. I don't want people thinking we are trying to build up some sort of army. We should be especially careful considering how powerful this girl's father sounded."

"But would you really deny her if she thought like us?" Hob challenged.

He let out a huge huff from his nose, remaining silent. He whipped his tail behind him again. "Given the way the world shuns us, no I suppose I would not."

Hob's toothy smile immediately warranted a follow up. "But I am not willing to put both mine and Alopex's life in danger, so if she claims to be like us she will have to prove herself before I trust her."

"So you do not care if I die."

"Not if you are leading us to ours."

Hob sneered but nodded. "Very well. You have gone through enough to warrant be as cautious as you are"

"As have you, which is I question your choices...most of the time actually."

"Question all you want. We already made the decision to go. That's all I care about. Let's eat before miss foxy over eats it all."

The smell of cooked food had practically turned Alopex's mouth into a faucet, and she was already reaching for a strip of meat. Leatherhead clamped his jaw ad grabbed his own share. They all ate in silence. Leatherhead retreated into his mind, hoping that he wasn't leading the fox beside him into a monster's den.


End file.
